


The Kids Aren't Alright

by MamaWardentotheRescue



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 3
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, F/M, Teens being teens, shitty sidekick to soft boyfriend?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-25
Updated: 2017-09-03
Packaged: 2018-09-02 03:17:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8649490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MamaWardentotheRescue/pseuds/MamaWardentotheRescue
Summary: The mighty Tunnel Snake King slowly comes to he reality of surviving out in Capital Wasteland, and the Lone Wanderer tries not to kill him in the process.





	1. Welcome Home

**Author's Note:**

> i have no idea what i'm doing and idk if this will be updated but enjoy lads

The walk back from Vault 101 was quiet. _More like depressing_ , the Wanderer corrected herself. When she heard the call for help on her Pip-Boy's radio, she thought she would be welcomed to her slightly more chaotic home.

_What a fucking joke._

 

Instead, Kat Bennet and her companions, a ghoul named Charon and her dog, Dogmeat, arrived in what felt like a small war zone. No one guarded the entrance...no one living that is. Bodies of officers and civilian dwellers where scattered around the room, and it only got worse as they ventured further into the vault. Kat recognised three of the corpses as Steve Armstrong, and Jim and Janice Wilkins. She felt a sense of dread drop inside her. The Vault 101 she once called home was no longer the clean and orderly place it once was; tables, lockers, shelves and any other sturdy piece of furniture was stacked to make barricades; dirt and blood was splattered on the walls, smeared on the floor, and dust lazily swirled around in the air.

The three of them made their way through the corridors with the guide of Officer Gomez, who looked worn down to the bone. They found the rebels and Amata leading it. To say that Kat felt relieved to see her best friend was an understatement. However, she didn't receive the welcoming she wanted; Amata explained that her father needed to step down from being Overseer, and that she needed her old friend to help. The Wanderer learnt that the majority of her old classmates and people she generally cared for had died in either the events of her escape, or during the rebellion's fights. Butch DeLoria was not one of them. Luckily, he had somewhat changed in the months that had passed. However, he was angry at Kat and her father, too.

"Don't worry, Butch," she had spat at him with as much venom she could muster, "My dad's dead, so he's paid for any inconveniences he's created for you!"

Like a storm, she rushed through the maze that was the vault, up to the Overseer's office. Both sides of the little civil war stared at her and whispered, shocked to see Dr James' little girl back. But she wasn't the scared little girl who escaped after her father; she was grimy, battle-worn, and very pissed off. When she entered the office, Overseer Almodovar greeted her with his usual belittling. It pissed her off even more. She had spared his life once for Amata, even though her gut told her otherwise, and now she was in a similar position...but Amata wasn't there and Kat didn't have any mercy left inside of her for assholes like him.

"I... I just heard. The Overseer... _My father_ is dead." Amata had said to Kat in a shaky voice. Kat had just come out of her old apartment with her tall friend and dog. "What's more, some of the people are saying I should be the new Overseer. It's all so sudden."

"I'm sorry, Amata, but that's the way these things go." Kat had replied. She gave her friend a halfhearted smile, "Now do the right thing for your Vault."

"Oh, I will, _believe me_. We can open up limited trade with nearby settlements and other areas, and see the world we've been missing." Amata had refused to look her in the eye yet, and she fidgeted awkwardly. "But it's still important that I protect our Vault, and keep the people within it safe from the dangers of the Wasteland...even when those dangers have helped us in the past. And that makes the rest of this even harder."

Kat crossed her arms, her posture tense. _I've got a bad feeling I know where this is going_ , she had thought to herself. Amata looked at her old friend with a serious expression, but Kat could tell she was dying on the inside.

"You saved us. But that doesn't change the fact that you killed one of us to do it, and I can't let that sort of thing stand here. I guess it's a bit familiar. You've already been forced out of the Vault once before. At least now you know what's out there."

Amata watched as the Wanderer's calm disintegrated; instead of anger, Kat could only feel the cold, painful stab of betrayal. She wanted to cry. The girl in front of her was no longer the Amata she had once considered her best friend -- sister, even. No, instead it was the Overseer. She tried to touch Kat, but was pushed back violently. Charon placed a steady hand on the Wanderer's shoulder, giving her a stern look that said ' _pull yourself together_ '.

"I'm sorry." Amata murmured, her voice shaking again, "You're a hero... and you have to leave."

 

And they did, but not before Butch asked to come with them. Kat argued against it, but so did he. He annoyed her enough that she gave in and told him to be down at the entrance in ten minutes. The four of them eventually left in silence towards the city of Megaton. Their new companion was fascinated with the outside world, and was constantly tripping over his boots or bumping into the Wanderer or ghoul, because he was too busy looking up at the stars or off to the horizon. When they arrived at the city, Butch let out a loud, " _Holy fuck!_ "

That made the Wanderer smile a little. Together they all made their way to the first house on the left.

"Is this pad _really_ yours?" He asked impressed, as Kat unlocked the door. Dogmeat barked and trotted over to his bed of old blankets.

"Jealous?" She asked the Tunnel Snake with a smirk. He composed himself, and fell back into the familiar douche-mode she was used too. Butch rolled his eyes and snorted.

"Like hell, nosebleed."

As she wandered upstairs to change out of her adventuring gear, Butch made himself comfortable. He chucked his duffle bag on the downstairs couch, perused the things on the shelves, and even tried to start up a conversation with the ever so quiet Charon. The ghoul gave him a look that made him very uncomfortable, and decided to never try to do that again. Instead he sat on the ground next to Dogmeat and chatted with the Mr Handy, Wadsworth.

The Wanderer pulled off her dusty boots, unbuckled her armour and slipped out of the grubby clothes underneath. She couldn't stop thinking about what happened back at the vault. When she had left the first time, there was still a part of her that believed there was a chance she could go back. Now she knew for sure no one wanted her back. It made her feel hollow. Her last bit of home was gone. _Well, not everything_ , she thought, _there's dad's things I got from our apartment...and there's Butch_. That didn't comfort her.

Kat trudged downstairs in loose cotton pants and a t-shirt, to find Butch wrestling with her dog. Charon looked up at with an expression that reminded her of a tired parent.

"Rest, Charon." She said, making both the dog and Butch jump. With a grunt, the ghoul made his way upstairs. Kicking Dogmeat's toys out of the way, she walked into the kitchen. She lit the stove, and started to boil some water for noodles.

"You hungry?" She called out to Butch. He got to his feet and swaggered over to the entrance of the small room, leaning on the wall in an attempt to look cool.

"Depends. You gonna' slave away in the kitchen for me?"

It was her turn to snort and roll her eyes. Kat turned towards him, wooden spoon in one hand and a glare on her face. " _Fuck no_ ," she hissed, "If you wanna' eat, you're gonna' help me."

She chucked him an apron and told him to gather certain ingredients. He whined, but eventually helped her cook. Soon afterwards they were sitting at the small table upstairs, next to a Nuka-Cola machine. They ate in silence, listening to the crooners on the radio. It wasn't uncomfortable, they were both just exhausted from their day. However, it didn't stop Butch from talking after he slurped down the last of his dinner.

"...And, hey...um, thanks, man." He eventually mumbled, avoiding her gaze. "You didn't have to take me in, especially after what happened with Amata-"

Kat glared at him and growled, "Do yourself a favour and _shut up_ , _Butch._ "

He raised his hands in defence, but continued, " _Okay, okay!_ But still...thanks."

"Yeah, well..." She muttered back, equally as awkward as he was. "Don't thank me too quickly. You haven't been out there yet, in the wasteland."

Butch snorted, and slumped back with his hands behind his head. "I ain't scared at what's out there. _They_ should be scared of the Butch-Man!"

She watched him flip out his pocket knife and stab the air. She raised a brow and crossed her arms over her chest.

" _Oh yeah_ , I'm sure the raiders, super mutants and deathclaws are just shaking in their boots about the idea of facing _the great 'Butch-Man' and his toothpick_."

"Har-har, real funny, nosebleed."

The Wanderer reached around to get two sodas from the machine. She handed him one, and cracked open hers with the fork she used for her noodles.

"We'll teach you how to fight properly tomorrow." She informed him, taking a sip.

"'We'?" He smirked, "You mean you and that zombie-"

He yelped as her foot collided with his shins. Kat frowned, "His name is _Charon_ , and he's a _ghoul_. Not zombie. If you're gonna' be an asshole, I'll treat you like one."

" _Okay, I'm sorry!_   _Jesus Christ!_ " Butch cried out. He pulled his knees up under his chin and glared at her. She glared back, but continued.

"Anyway... Charon will be teaching you how to shoot and defend yourself properly," she continued, "And I'll teach you how to get around and survive the Capital Wasteland in other ways."

An hour or two passed of Butch asking questions about everything; questions as complex as how the sky was so big, or as simple as who owned a certain building in town. It wore Kat down quickly, but she didn't stop him, because she knew what it was like to have the same vast array of questions in her head. Butch was lucky he had someone who was willing to answer as many as they could.

"Phew, I'm beat!" He yawned after asking her where she found Dogmeat. He got up from his chair and swaggered over to the closed door near the stairs. "Is this my room?"

He swung the door open to see Charon sitting on a love seat in a small room. He turned his head to give the Tunnel Snake a cold look. Kat awkwardly slipped in front of his gaze to scold Butch.

"Now you've disturbed him." she tutted, putting her hands on her hips. "This is Charon's room, Butch. He was resting and everything..."

Butch stared at her incredulously. " _Resting?_ He ain't sleepin', he's just-"

" _Resting_." She nodded, closing Charon's door again and giving Butch a look. "Now...you're stuff is down stairs, so you can sleep down there too."

The Tunnel Snake made a noise that sounded strangely like a cross between a strangled cat and a small child having a tantrum. The Wanderer followed his stomps down the stairs, and handed him a spare pillow and sleeping bag from a locker with a amused look on her face.

"Night night, Dogmeat. Night night, Butch!" She sang out as she ran up the stairs. All she could hear from her new guest was angry muttering.

 

**. . .     . . .     . . .**

 

Although the events of the previous day lingered with her, Kat was distracted by Butch's training. In fact, she found that was the best thing about his presence. It kept her focused on what was ahead, instead of what was _in_ her head. For example, the shrill yelps he made when Charon pinned him in _another_ neck lock snatched her right away from her intrusive thoughts.

"That wasn't fair!" the Tunnel Snake spat, scrambling to his feet again. "You told me to go on your call, but you didn't say anything!"

Charon picked at a thread on his sleeve before looking up at him. "Kid, nobody out there is going to give you a heads up before they attack. You have to be ready all the time. I showed you the counter to that move, and you didn't use it. That's on you."

Butch snarled something under his breath.

"You boys playing nice?" Kat called out, walking down the dusty hill with Dogmeat on her tail and in her hand, an old shopping basket with a checkered sheet lining the inside. They were set up behind one of the old houses in Springvale, just close enough to run back home if needed.

"Was he ever this tight-ass with you?" Butch grumbled, stomping over to grab a Nuka-Cola from the basket.

"No," the Wanderer replied, setting it down on a nearby boulder. "But then again, I was never a baby about his methods."

She heard him mutter something into his bottle. While Butch had his drink, Kat joined Charon in a spar. The ghoul pointed out how she moved, and how Butch should be studying her closer. The thought of him 'studying' any part of the Wanderer made her feel uncomfortable. These thoughts caught off guard...and so did Charon, who swiftly knocked her on the ground.

"Focus, boss." Charon murmured. Butch let out a hoot of laughter. The two wastelanders continued to spar until Kat won a round. Suddenly the Tunnel Snake was quiet.

The three of them took a lunch break, and sprawled out on a blanket from the basket. Butch watched in amazement as Kat managed to get the ghoul to eat a sandwich she had made. In fact, she completely doted on him and Charon accepted his fate without a fight. If he were to smile, Butch reckoned the ghoul would have a grin from ear-to-ear from her mother hen act.

As they ate, the Wanderer decided to pull out an old journal. Its leathery cover was old and worn but somehow still holding together, and the pages were filled with scribbled down notes, loose maps and letter, photos, fliers and other useful things from the the Wanderer's travels. She tried to teach Butch a few of the basic things, like how to purify water, where to camp for the night, what's safe to eat...but it went through one ear and out the other.

" _Jesus, Butch!_ You haven't changed a bit since school," she growled, hitting him around the head with the journal. "This could save your life and you're too busy drawing in the dirt!"

He threw away the stick he was using to draw a snake in the dry ground, and jumped to his feet. Irritated and muttering something about her being goody-two-shoes, he turned away from them and flicked his jacket's collar up.

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm listenin'." Butch snapped back. With a sudden burst of enthusiasm, he blurted out, "Why can't you teach me how to do other shit? Like..." He stopped to think, and then slapped his hands together. "Fightin' those monsters you was talkin' about last night! Or what about how to kill those, whatchamecallits... _supermutants?_ "

Charon let out what sounded like a snigger. Kat groaned.

"DeLoria," she said, pinching the bridge of her nose, "If either a deathclaw or supermutant come running towards us, I can assure you that ninety percent of the time we'll be running the opposite direction."

"But what if you're stuck and can't run?"

"Then you shoot for its head and pray that the bastard hits the ground before you do." Charon piped in. Butch didn't seem satisfied with the answer. The Wanderer held up the journal to him.

" _Read it_."

The Tunnel Snake snatched it out of her hand angrily and stormed off towards Megaton's gates. Kat told Dogmeat to follow him; the last thing she needed was for him to be jumped by a mole rat or blowfly without anyone to help him.

 

**. . .     . . .     . . .**

 

After his outburst, Butch found himself heading to the small bar next to the bomb in the centre of town with Dogmeat cheerfully tagging along behind him. The Tunnel Snake was angry at how Kat and Charon had treated him. He wasn't a child, and like hell was he going to be scolded by Princess Girl Scout.

_She's only trying to help_ , a little voice would remind him. That just made him more frustrated. He quickly used the handful of caps he was given to buy a large bottle of whiskey. Both him and the dog made their way up to the Wanderer's front porch, sitting down at the garden table overlooking Megaton as the sun settled down.

With a few gulps of whiskey burning in his belly, Butch began to flip through the pages of the Wanderer's journal. He tried to concentrate on the notes and images glued or pinned to the paper, but there were things that just didn't make any sense at all. It was a range of things from him being unable to read the writing, he found it hard to string the sentences together to create a bigger picture in his head, or that he just couldn't concentrate enough to read a page properly. The fact that it was all crucial for his survival didn't help his stress levels either. He felt like he was doing homework for school again, and there were two things Butch hated the most; homework and school. There was one thing he did understand though; reading the maps. The little reminders and symbols scribbled in red ink on the paper made it clear that it was the opposite for Kat.

_So, she's not as fucking perfect as everyone thinks_ , he thought smugly.

Butch flipped through some more pages with sketches of creatures, robots, and other wasteland baddies with little notes pointing out weaknesses. They were easier to understand. When he finished looking at those, he flipped through the last few used pages where he found a photo clipped on by some bobby pins. The Tunnel Snake stared at the old photo; a young Dr James Bennet and his ten year old daughter, Kat, were standing next to each other with the biggest grins Butch had ever seen them make. The young Kat wore the baseball cap she got for her birthday and had an old BB gun in her hands, while her dad wore a silly party hat and had his arm wrapped around her. They looked so happy.

All of Butch's anger fell away as he looked at the photo. He felt as though he had intruded on something personal. He quickly closed the book when Dogmeat barked at the arrival of his mistress and her friend. The ghoul muttered about needing a harder drink and left her for the larger bar in town.

The Wanderer sighed at the sight of her old bully. She took the journal from the table and slipped it into her jacket pocket.

"You still wear my jacket?" Butch smirked, watching her with those cold blue eyes. " _Naw, doll_..."

"Shut up, DeLoria." She snapped back. Kat put the makeshift picnic basket beside the door, and sat down in the chair opposite to Butch. She awkwardly bit her lip and mumbled an apology for before.

"You're not my Ma," he growled before taking a sip from his bottle. "So don't act like it."

" _Well if you would just_ -" the Wanderer stopped herself, and took a deep breath. "You're right. It's just... _the way_ _you left the vault_..."

She looked out at the town and watched the lights switch on. Her eyes closed as she gathered her words. Kat spoke in softer voice than before, "I keep going back to how I left. At how _terrified_ I was about everything. What happened in the vault, what happened to my dad, how I was chucked out into this new world that wanted me dead from the get-go... _it was terrifying_. I had to learn quickly, or I was going to die. So maybe, I guess...I'm bitter as hell that you had the choice to leave. And you not giving two shits about what could happen to yourself out there really pisses me off."

Butch stared at the bottle in his hands. A twinge of guilt stirred in him as he imagined her go through all that alone. She didn't need to worry about him -- he didn't deserve it or want it -- but he knew she couldn't help it. He remembered how scared she looked when he caught her in the hall before she left the vault. He asked her to help his mother, and even though she could have told him to fuck off, she didn't. Kat went out of her way to kill those radroaches and saved his mother's life. And now a few months later, a similar thing happens and she took him under her wing even when she didn't have too.

His eyes snapped up to her lighting a cigarette. She wiped something from her eyes and took a drag.

"Those are shit for ya health, you know." He said. She snorted, and looked at the half empty bottle of whiskey in his hands.

" _I'm_ being scorned for my unhealthy habits _by an_ _alcoholic?_ "

"Hey, a man's gotta have a hobby!"

They both shared a laugh before falling silent again. It wasn't awkward like before; it was the same comfortable silence at the dinner table. He passed the bottle over, and she took it gladly. After a few more shared swigs, they started to talk more, especially Butch who had drunk the majority of the bottle alone.

"Ay, I'm sorry for ya Pa." the Tunnel Snake slurred, resting his chin on his propped up hands. "I always liked tha Doc. He would patch me up after my Ma's...bad moments. Never tol' a soul. He was good."

The Wanderer looked at him for a moment. She wasn't as drunk as he was, but she was drunk enough to open her mouth. "It wasn't just him, Butch. I helped keep your secret too."

 

When they were fourteen, Butch had stumbled into their apartment late at night. He was black and blue and was bleeding from his head. He didn't tell James about how it happened, but he didn't need to. He smelled of alcohol, and seeming as other kids tried to stay out of his way, it was safe to say it was from home. Kat helped her father stitch him up that night, and made up a cot for him in her room. They didn't talk, but they didn't need too. That night she silently held his hand in the dark as he sobbed himself to sleep.

Butch stared up at her with a soft expression. He didn't remember that night he shared her room. She didn't blame him; the amount of booze he had in him numbed the pain of his wounds.

It wasn't really a secret that Mrs DeLoria beat on her kid every once and awhile, but everyone played dumb for Butch's sake. When Kat was little, her father would take care of Butch to shelter him from his own mother. So when Kat became close to Amata, so did Butch. It always surprised people to know that the three of them were once inseparable. However, at the age of six the little Tunnel Snake became angry and violent, and took it out on the girls. It didn't stop James from looking out from him though...

"Why'd you do that for me? I was'sa dick ta you."

"Yeah, you were," she admitted, but gave him a small smile. "But no matter how pissed off I got with you, or how much of a shit lord you were to me or Amata...deep down I knew it wasn't all you."

Kat wasn't sure if it was the booze or what she had said, but she could have sworn his cheeks grew pinker. Dogmeat yawned a whine and snuffled at her feet. It was his way of telling her it was time to go to bed. She helped Butch to his feet, and they both stumbled to the door of her house and entered.

The dog lapped at his water, and then curled up in his bed. Butch watched him with a serene smile on his face before being startled by Kat, nudging him to his makeshift bed on the couch. She helped him take off his boots and jacket before tucking him in.

"Good night, nosebleed," he mumbled.

"Good night, asshole," she murmured back. The Wanderer was about to go up the stairs when she heard him say, "The jacket looks good on you by the way."

A small smile crept up on her. Maybe having him around wouldn't be too terrible.


	2. I'm Just A Kid (And Life Is A Nightmare)

A few days had passed after the vault kids' departure of Vault 101. Time moved quickly however, while Charon and Kat put Butch through their lessons. The kid was more bearable after his first week, but he still irritated Kat from time to time. Apparently, their drinking session hadn't changed much; he was too drunk to remember any of it (or so he claimed), but his attitude had become better. Probably because he was thankful that he was doing something practical rather than being stuck in the vault, forced to watch it spiral into the ditch. 

"So who we sendin' to the grave today?" Butch asked cheerily, strutting out the gates of Megaton behind the Wanderer and her posse of ghoul and dog. He was unusually excited to get to work on his hand-to-hand combat, but when they listened to Galaxy News Radio as they ate their sugar bombs, Three Dogg mentioned that a settlement nearby called Grayditch needed help. It seemed his training sessions were going to be put on hold until Kat investigated the issue.

"Don't know," the Wanderer answered Butch, slipping on her shades and adjusting her helmet. "But there's been reports of somebody setting things on fire. It's our job to check it out."

"Is it really 'our job'?" He questioned, unconvinced. Butch ran a comb through his greased hair pompously, and slipped a toothpick into his mouth to chew on. 

"Considering no one else is gonna help them, and that you're following my lead--" the Wanderer replied, flipping her combat shotgun from over her shoulder with ease like the weight was nothing. "Yeah, I think _it is_ 'our job'."

The four of them left the road as they reached what used to be a town house and then headed right. Dogmeat scouted ahead of them, passed the back of the old Super Duper Mart and towards the outskirts of the city (west side by Kat's map). Charon was quiet as ever, only speaking when giving them a warning. Butch was the opposite. He had many questions about what he saw; they were mostly idle thoughts ("Why is the sky so fuckin' bright!", "Why the fuck would anyone live out here?"), but he also had questions for the two of them. The ghoul rarely spoke, obviously, so most of them were directed to Kat.

"So how'd you two meet? Big Guy, didjya help find the Doc? Have you killed someone important out here?"

"DeLoria," she spoke through gritted teeth, "If you don't shut up, I'm gonna shove this boot so far--"

A shrill scream interrupted her. Ahead of them a boy crouched behind some rubble, while Dogmeat fought a giant ant. It was the same size as him and no doubt it was stronger too. To make the situation worse, more of monsters wear scuttling towards him. The Wanderer started to run towards them. If she lost that dog after everything they had been through...

Butch hung back near the child, Charon sniped from further away, and Kat charged at the oversized bugs. She tackled one off of Dogmeat, and shot it in the face. The Wanderer quickly rolled off its body and moved towards the dog, jabbing him with a stimpack. Butch and Charon finished the other ants off, while the young boy behind the rock watched them with an astonished look. Dogmeat started to growl again. As if the they were summoned by the death of their kin, ants as big as cars scuttled their way. The fight was tougher than before; the ants' exoskeleton was hard to pierce, and to Butch's displeasure (" _What the fuck! What the_ _fuck!_ _What. The. Fuck!_ " he screamed repeatedly, as an ant chased him,) some of them even spat fire. But it didn't stop the group. Even when Kat was out of shells, she beat the living shit out of the bugs with the hilt of her shotgun or shoved a grenade into their maws. When it was all over she was covered in bug guts from tip to toe.

"You okay, boy?" She asked, squishing Dogmeat's face and rubbing his head with affection. He barked happily in response and licked the side of her face. He coughed at the taste of bug guts.

"Oh shit, you smell rank!" Butch gagged, covering his nose. Despite his disgust, he gave her a thumbs up. "At least you gave 'em hell."

Charon nodded in agreement, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards. He handed her some extra ammo and reminded her that she still had her 10mm. The boy who screamed popped out from behind the block of cement and moved cautiously towards them. "E-Excuse me?"

They all turned to look at him, forgetting he was even there. The boy introduced himself as Bryan Wilks. He was around the age of eight or nine, his body was gangly and he had sandy blonde hair. After thanking them for their help, he explained to the group that the giant ants came out if nowhere and had attacked his home. He asked them to help find his dad and any other survivors in the town.

"Do you have somewhere safe to hide while we're gone?" The Wanderer asked. The kid nodded. "Good. We'll come find you when we're done."  
They followed Bryan to his hiding spot. It was a prewar preservation shelter next to an old diner. He pointed towards his house nearby and gave them a key for his dad's emergency supplies. Kat gave him some of her food and water, and handed him a small pistol she found in the diner. "Just in case," she said.

"Thanks, lady." He gave her a small smile. He turned to enter the shelter, waving a hand over his shoulder. He called out, "Hope you don't die!"

 _Me too, kid_ , Butch thought. The group moved through the streets, trying to avoid the ants but failing. They were everywhere and they were pissed off that someone was on their turf. Ammo was running low, and the durability of their gear was waning. They reached an apartment of a family Bryan had mentioned. There wasn't any evidence of the original owners surviving, but they did find a shotgun behind the fridge and a few concerning entries on a terminal regarding the locals and the owner's past. Apparently, the man who lived there with his family didn't trust his neighbours, particularly a man named Doctor Lesko. They left the apartment and moved to the others, fighting a few ants here and there. Just like the first apartment, there were no signs of survivors but there were a few hidden supplies. Finally they reached Bryan Wilks' house. Their hearts plummeted at what they found; scorch marks covered the walls and floor, small fires were still burning in places, and bodies littered the ground. Amongst the dead ants, Fred Wilks' torched body was lying awkwardly near a book case. It looked like he was tossed around like a flaming rag doll.

"He fought back." Charon noted. Butch jumped at his voice; the ghoul had been silent for so long, he'd forgotten his voice. Dogmeat whined.

"Poor Bryan..." Kat murmured. The pain in her chest grew at the thought of telling the boy what happened to his dad. She excused herself to the next room when her eyes began to water. Charon stared after her. The loss of her own father was still fresh, and he knew it hurt her more than she let on.

"Go say something to her." The ghoul growled at Butch. The Tunnel Snake was about to argue, but shut his mouth when he met his stare.

"What do I even say?" he whined, jutting his lip out like a child.

"Something nice." 

With a groan, Butch left to follow Kat. He found her sniffling in the upstairs bedroom. She was searching the room for supplies and hopefully something to give Bryan. The kid deserved at least something of his dad's to keep. Butch entered and leant against the door frame, his hands in his pockets and his eyes looking at his scuffed boot. He awkwardly coughed, and mumbled, "Yo, uh, you need any help?"

"Nope."

Her tone was sharp. If he was as smart as he believed himself to be, he would have left her. Instead he decided to try again.

"Look if you need to talk--"

"A man is dead in the other room, and his son is waiting for us in an ant infested town!" She snapped at him, "We don't have time to talk."

He stood up straight and balled his fists. He hissed, "I'm tryna be nice here, nosebleed! What the fuck is your problem?"

She slammed the cupboard door shut.Kat swivelled around and stormed towards him. They would have been nose to nose, but Butch was a head taller than her. A constant string of _'Oh shit. Abort, abort!'_ repeated in his head as he saw the wave of raw emotion on her face. 

"You wanna know what _the fuck_ my problem is, Butch?" She snarled. He almost told her no. "It's _you_. It's all those _fucking ants_. It's the whole _fucking world!_ None of you care about the pain you cause, and I'm sick of seeing others getting fucked over because of it!"

"Woah! What the fuck did I do?" Butch was starting to get the feeling that he had stumbled onto some unresolved issues. He put his hands on his hips and pouted. "Whatever your problem is, bitch, it's not mine! You know what? Forget I even bothered."

He pushed past her and was about to leave before she asked him to wait. "I'm sorry. You're right. It's just...this kid has lost everything, and he's not the only one out there who has either. Kids out here are constantly forced to survive in this hell hole of a wasteland, because some ass hole believed their mom or dad weren't allowed to live! It's not fair. Why do we have to suffer alone, while they get to go on with their lives?"

Kat stopped herself, realising how much she'd let out. She was confused and everything about this job was too familiar. It took everything she had to not relive what happened in the Jefferson Memorial. When she looked up at Butch, she saw his face was still pulled into an angry expression...except for his eyes weren't. Did he understand, or did he think she was overreacting like always? 

After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence they decided to move out, leaving with more ammo, meds and a key for the shack next door. They checked it out and found plenty of scrap metal, an empty protectron pod and a terminal owned by the familiar Doctor Lesko. His entries were about the fire ants; it looked like he was studying them somewhere close. That was their next stop, but first they had to check with Bryan Wilks.

The Wanderer rapped her knuckles on the shelter door. "Bryan, it's us. Open up."

The door slid open and out came Bryan. He looked hopeful and that made things worse.

"Did you find my dad?" He asked, clutching an old comic he'd been reading in the shelter. Her heart sank further down. She couldn't open her mouth to speak, because she was scared her breakfast would say 'hello'.

Seeing her discomfort (and feeling guilty for the outburst before), Butch cleared his throat. "We checked everywhere, kid, and we could find your neighbours or that doctor," he explained. He watched the boy's face slowly drop. "And your dad...I'm sorry, kid. Your pa was killed by those bastards. He fought hard though -- killed at least ten."

That didn't make him feel better. The boy started to cry. Dogmeat went over to him to lick his face, letting out a small whine. Rage began to bubble in Kat. Those ants killed the child's father, but she had a feeling that there was something more behind it. She cupped the boy's face and wiped away the tears with her thumbs. "We're going to stop this. These ants won't hurt anyone else, but we need to find Doctor Lesko, Bryan." She said, her voice soft but determined.

"H-He's got a lab d-down in the Marigold Station," he hiccuped. "I used to go down there with him..."

She gave Bryan a hug, and told him to go somewhere safe again. "Dogmeat will stay with you, and you have that gun I gave you if something happens." She reminded him, before watching him and her dog run off to the shack. Kat turned to Charon and Butch with a fierce look in her eye.

"Time to have a talk with this Doctor Lesko. Something isn't right."

 

* * *

 

The underground was strewn with the usual raiders, mole rats and ferals with the inclusion of fire ants who had made nests throughout that particular system. The deeper they went in, the deeper the Wanderer's suspicions of Doctor Lesko became. She believed he caused the infestation of ants, but couldn't figure out how. 

They eventually found the doctor's lab. A thin man with large glasses and a dirty lab coat greeted them gruffly at the door. He grumbled about things that Butch didn't understand, but apparently Kat knew. It was something to do with science, and the man was very appreciative that someone understood what he was going on about. Suddenly the scientist eagerly introduced himself as Doctor Lesko, and invited them inside. He wouldn't stop talking about the ants around his lab, about how fascinating they were. Kat crossed her arms and interrupted his rant.

"What's with the ants, Lesko? They've run riot through the town above and killed almost everyone." She said. The doctor fidgeted with glasses and avoided her accusing gaze. "Did you set them on Grayditch?"

"What? No! Well...not _intentionally_." Lesko spluttered. That's when Kat pounced; she pinned the bespectacled man to the wall, shoving her 10mm in his face. Her sudden change in character scared the doctor so much he almost shat his pants. Butch was surprised at her sudden ferosity. The Wanderer demanded an explanation and the doctor delivered. He quickly explained the fire ants' origins and why he was studying them. In an attempt to reduce and control the amount of ants in the wasteland he used the infamous FEV, but something went wrong and the ants mutated further. 

"What the fuck is a FEV?" Butch asked, scratching his head. He wondered if it was a disease.

"It's the virus they used to create super mutants...amongst other things." Kat responded, barely taking her eyes off the doctor. "It seems the version _you_ had, Doctor, was corrupted."

"Yes, it would seem so. That's why I need you to help me fix my mistake." said Lesko. Butch snorted, but Kat eyed him down. She wanted to shoot him. She wanted him to  _pay_ for what he had done, for everything he had caused. But she needed him, and that's what pissed her off the most.

"Fine." She hissed, letting go of his coat and holstering her gun. "But only for Bryan. For whatever reason he trusts you."

The doctor ignored her. In fact, he was nothing but apathetic to what happened to Grayditch. The three of them wanted to sock him in the jaw. Instead they followed the doctor's instructions and left the lab through a back door that led them to the ant's tunnels. On their way, they dealt with multiple nests that were becoming a nuisance to the doctor. Their job was to get rid of them, but to not harm the ant queen. Kat had other plans. They came to the queen's nest and were unprepared for the sheer size of her.

"We can't let her live. Her soldiers have caused too much damage." Kat whispered, "So when I distract her, go for her legs while I go for her face."

Before anyone could argue with her hasty plan, she slid away in the darkness. Charon and Butch was left alone in their positions to wait for their signal. After awhile they heard a loud scream and it followed with a thud and spine tingling screech. The two of them popped out of cover and shot at the queen's limbs. Lesko's lost protectron marched out to evaluate the ruckus. It didn't attack the three of them or the queen, but it did kill any soldier ant who came to rescue their queen. Soon there were none left to defend her. The queen thrashed as the Wanderer crawled across her back until she reached her head. Butch didn't see what she'd done to the queen, but when Kat quickly slid off and began running towards them, he knew how it would end for the ant queen.

"You might want to find cover!" Kat yelled at them. Charon pulled her behind a rock just before the queen exploded into millions of pieces. His arms stayed around her protectively until he knew it was safe. Butch peeked out from behind a cave rock pillar. Bug guts and limbs were splattered everywhere, and unfortunately the protectron got caught in the blast. Its body buzzed as it slowly shut down. The Tunnel Snake let out a low whistle. "Well...that'll do it."

The three of them gathered whatever they could find and returned to the doctor. He wasn't pleased to hear that his queen had been blown to smithereens.

"You have no idea what you've done!" He cried, "All my research is now useless, and--"

"And what about the people of Grayditch?" The wanderer growled, jabbing his chest so hard he stumbled back into his desk. Her mouth twisted in disgust. "You're a sociopath. People died, Lesko, but you don't even care! Another child is an orphan and homeless because of you."

"There are always risks with science." The doctor replied, as though it was a reasonable answer.

Kat whipped out her 10mm and aimed at him. Her lips curled into a snarl, "Bryan _trusted_ you and now his dad is dead. I won't let you hurt anyone in the name of science."

Without flinching she shot him in the chest. Butch swore loudly, and Charon placed a steady hand on her shoulder. In a hushed voice, she murmured, "Never again."

 

* * *

 

They cleared the lab of supplies, taking an unfinished serum and its notes, and were keen to leave the station. When they reached the surface, the trio were greeted by Dogmeat and Bryan by the shack. Butch could tell the kid had been crying some more; his grubby cheeks had clear streaks running down to the boy's jaw. The sun was beginning to set and it would soon be dangerous to travel, so Kat suggested they all head back to Megaton before figuring out what to do next. She held Bryan's hand all the way there. When they arrived through the gates, it was dark and the stars were out. The boy began to shake, but the wanderer had a feeling that it wasn't from the cold.

They entered the apartment and settled in. After a bath and a warm meal the group began planning what to do with Bryan.

"I have an aunt in Rivet City," the boy piped up. He continued to pat Dogmeat. "I'm sure she'll take me in. But if not..."

"You can stay here." Kat finished. Bryan gave her a small thankful smile.

"Well," Butch yawned, stretching his arms. "We better get moving to this 'Rivet City' tomorrow, then."

Charon nodded in agreement. After a night's rest, they quickly left the safety of Megaton. Luckily Kat found Bryan some clean clothes and a backpack to put supplies in for travel. The road was as dangerous as it had been the first time the wanderer had made the trip to Rivet City; super mutants, raiders, and slavers thrived within the ruins. But they were easy to avoid and get rid of if you had travelled through their territories enough. It was Butch's first time though, and he wasn't prepared for the vast numbers of baddies they encountered.

"And you got through this _alone?"_ He panted, kicking a dead centaur in disgust. Kat checked if Bryan was hurt in the last fight, and answered, "I wasn't completely alone. I had Dogmeat."

The dog barked in reply to his name. Butch shook his head in disbelief at her simple answer. Charon scouted ahead over a bridge toward Jefferson Memorial, and the other followed behind, chatting about lighter things to keep their minds off the dark. They tried to ignore the distant rifle shots from Charon's position. The Wanderer could feel her chest grow tight and her eyes glaze over as she looked at the building ahead. She could hear her dad telling her to run just before he...

 _No,_ she ordered herself, refusing to think back on it.

A shrill cackle snapped her out of her trance. Bryan had climbed onto Butch's back, because his feet were tired. The Tunnel Snake chucked his own rucksack at Kat.

"Just be careful you two," she sighed, flinging the bag over her shoulder. Butch grinned.

"I'm always careful, doll!" He winked, before galloping off with a giggling eight year old. The Wanderer chuckled to herself. DeLoria wasn't that hard to live with when he was like that. In fact, she enjoyed his company when he wasn't acting like he was top shit. Dogmeat whined. He wanted to join in on the fun too. She clicked her tongue and laughed, "Well go on then."

With a bark of approval, the dog raced off to chase the two. The fun ended when they all reached the end of the bridge. Charon waited for them like a statue, surrounded by dead Enclave soldiers. Bryan hid his face in Butch's shoulder blade.

"Had any trouble?" The Wanderer asked, looking around. The ghoul's lips in what looked like a smirk.

"They got what was coming to them." he replied. He chucked her some recovered ammo and continued out in front. After dealing with a small mutant encampment, the road to Rivet City was finally clear again.

"W-O-W!" Butch and Bryan cried out in awe at the sight of the wrecked aircraft carrier. The boy slid off his back and slowly walked towards the stairs that led up to the draw bridge. When they all crossed the bridge Charon rumbled, "Welcome to your new home, kid."

"What if I get lost?" Bryan whispered. He felt like he was swallowing a baseball. "It's so big!"

Kat wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "Don't worry," she smiled, nodding to the guards at the front doors. "I get lost here all the time! And every time I get help from them."

Charon grunted. She wasn't lying about getting lost, but the part about the city security helping her each time? After the fifth visit to the city they learnt to avoid her.

They entered a large area marked as the marketplace. It was loud and filled with people. There were no ghouls. Large guns hung up in one stall, outfits in another. Chems, knick-knacks, food. You name it, Rivet City market place had it. Charon had to drag Butch away from it all before they left him behind. After a few minutes of asking around, the group were led to the Weatherly Hotel where Bryan's aunt, Vera Weatherly, worked.

"Welcome to the Weatherly Hotel!" A woman greeted them as they entered her office. She was young, tall and blonde. "I'm Vera Weatherly, and how may I help you?"

"Hi, um..." Kat looked down at the boy clutching her hand. "We've come from a settlement called Grayditch. There was an accident..."

She watched the woman's friendly face drop as she told her what happened. Her eyes travelled to Bryan, as if knowing who he was.

"This is Bryan Wilks, he has no home and he says you're his aunt. Is this true?"

Vera unstuck something from her front desk, and slowly came over to the boy. In her hand she showed him an old photo of a woman, a familiar man, and what looked like a very young Bryan.

"I can't believe it's you," the woman whispered. She hugged him and he hugged her back. "I hadn't heard from your mother in so long...I'm so sorry, Bryan. Of course you can stay here!"

It was very late when Vera offered her nephew's saviours a room after having them over for dinner as a thank you. They promised they would visit regularly for Bryan, just until he settled into his new home.

Unlocking the room that was now theirs, they tossed all of their things on the nearby desk. It was late when they settled in and despite the long day they had, none of them could sleep. All except Dogmeat, who lolled across the queen size bed. Charon stayed inside the room with the dog, so he could clean his guns. It gave Kat and Butch the time to explore the ship while most of the city had retired to their homes. They found themselves on the upper deck. Prewar jets sat forgotten across the deck. Butch strutted over to a makeshift baseball pitch one the local kids must have made. He picked up a spare ball, and began to throw it up and catch it in his hands with ease. Kat took the chance to light a cigarette, which Butch made a face at. She ignored him.

"I get it," he said out of the blue. She raised a brow. "Why you were upset the other day. I get it."

"You still thinking about that?" She grumbled.

"Well, yeah. You seemed pretty pissed off."

The clouds above started to thicken above. Kat blew out some smoke and crossed her arms. "So tell me, DeLoria, how do you get it?" She asked him.

He thought for a moment, figuring out how he'd put it into words.

"Everthin' with the kid an' Grayditch. It reminded you of your old man an' ya'self." Butch explained, catching the ball one last time before rolling it around in his hands. "Losin' your home...the life you had yesterday. It's shit an' I get why you lashed out. I would too if I was in your shoes."

She turned away from him, dropping her cigarette and squishing it out on the metal. He was obviously right, but she didn't want him to know that. But why? Wouldn't it be easier?

"You're annoyingly observant when you wanna be. You know that, DeLoria?" Kat grumbled. 

"I have my moments." Butch replied. The two of them stood there in silence. Butch chucked the baseball back on one of the bases, and broke the quiet with an uncomfortable sigh.

"Look, I get it." He said, moving towards her. "You don't see me as that kinda person. The kinda person you talk to 'bout shit, but no offence, you're really fucked up and you need to talk to someone...so I guess I'm here if you wanna, you know, talk."

Despite his seriousness, Kat started to laugh. "Gee, thanks ass hole!"

He blushed and started to fumble his words, "That's not what I meant! I mean it was, but not like that."

She could see he was struggling, but he was still trying really hard to make her feel better. She stopped laughing and gave him a grin instead. Slipping a small bottle of whiskey out from her leather jacket, Kat unscrewed the top and offered it to Butch. he took it thankfully, and downed a few mouthfuls.

"I'm trying to change, Kat. I know you don't think that I can --"

"I do believe you can." She interjected quietly, before taking a swig of whiskey. He stopped and stared at her. Did he hear her correctly? Kat tilted her head back and looked up at the night sky. Her skin was feeling hot and it wasn't from the whiskey. They sat in the middle of the baseball pitch watching the stars until they finished that bottle. For a short time, Kat forgot about the injustice of the world.


End file.
